"It was rather a specialty of the Empire, detaching heads and limbs and such and keeping the parts alive. Acids that dissolved everything but your nerves, leaving them exposed to any torture - well. All gone now."

Her right hand moves to her left arm and squeezes it under the elbow, idly rubbing back and forth.

"What? No, not if you have the fillings professionally done. But I've got eight more teeth than you do. Brushing them all the way back is a chore. And do you know how hard it is to floss when your teeth are all razor-edged? Sometimes I think you humans are lucky to have teeth that are good for more than biting through things." If she had been nibbling on that Tinker Toy, it would have been sawdust ages ago.